


Hidden Story

by KeelaFairie (orphan_account)



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst, F/M, based off of legend of the blue sea, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 18:05:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18833917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/KeelaFairie
Summary: "The mermaid whom has fallen for a human always comes to land. That is part of their inherent nature. For a mermaid that can only love once in their lifetime, she stakes her life on that one love."





	Hidden Story

**Author's Note:**

> So my heart has been so empty since finishing the Little Mermaid AU that I'm writing another mermaid AU. Enjoy.

The small city of Katolis was a fishing village, it's entire civilization stretching across a thin area of beach that quickly dropped off into the deeper waters of the Xadian sea.

When the sun began setting on this fateful day, it was obviously that something was amiss. It had been silent, much too silent to not be of alarm. The winds began to pick up around twilight, and the grande bell tower in the center of town began to ring from the winds that assaulted the wooden and stone buildings.

A storm had been brewing out over the seas, and hoards of people began rushing down to the beaches and docks, desperately trying to secure and salvage anything they could as the winds began to rise and the sea grew restless.

Bit by bit, rain began to slowly trickle down and fall from the sky, where thunder and lightning ravaged the clouds above and struck fear into the hearts of those whom rushed for cover as far inland as they could manage.

Under the surface of the rough waves, the currents were violent. The shifting waters stirring up debris and filling the once clear sea with a murky fog.

Among these waters was a single mermaid, her light blue tail shifting desperately through the murkiness as she coughed and hacked at the dirt and sand forcing its way into her gills.

In a fit of panic, the mermaid broke the surface of the waves, her silver hair tangling into a bunch of crumbling wood.

Lightning struck once more, and wave after wave crashed down onto the mermaid. Desperate, she found herself drifting nearer and nearer to the shore, her hands grasping the water around her for any stability.

Once more, a wave crashed down.

Her head hit something hard, and her vision faded to darkness.  
  
  


**• • •**  
  
  


Captain Villads was a respected fisherman in Katolis, his ships known for bringing back bountiful hauls and feeding countless families.

Being the most esteemed fisherman in the village, it was normal for him to be up before dawn, the simple light of a decorated lantern lighting his way down to his boat and into the sea where his daily catch would wait.

This certain morning, however, it was obvious that wasn't an option.

He only had a single eye, and even before he'd lost his left one his vision hadn't been one to envy. Still, even for someone like him he could make out the countless shapes of fish of every size. A month's worth of meals for the entire village were scattered across the damp sand, it's familiar white softness replaced with a dull tan and the smell of dead marine life. There were already countless people out with baskets, collecting as many of the deceased creatures as possible.

His own men were amongst them, filling his baskets with as many fish as possible. And so, Villads took it upon himself to scout out the rest of the beach, the part that shifted from sand to sharp rocks and caves that often fell into a submerged state during high tide.

A bird flew down from a nearby tree as he passed, perching on his shoulder and curiously pecking at one of his vest's front pockets. Villads ignored this. It was only Berto, his trusted companion. He'd suspected that the parrot had sensed the storm brewing far before the people and flown inland to avoid the harshest winds.

It was obvious that something was off the moment he entered shore in front of the rocky cliffsides. It was as if the sound of each fisherman and villager behind him faded away, instead being replaced by the echoing, labored breathing of someone in pain.

He saw a glimmer on a rock, and bent down to pick up the small object. It gleamed in the early-morning sunlight, and it became very clear to him, through blurred vision, that it was a single, crystal-like scale. It's texture seemed to be that of a million, tiny rhinestones pieced together to form one beautiful gem. He slipped the scale into his pocket.

Villads peered into the dim cave as he approached, noticing the clear lack of any washed-up creatures in the vicinity. The rocks seemed to form a small stream, wide enough for the smaller species to easily make their way back to the sea.

His gaze traveled from the sandy rocks and up the cave, letting his sole eye adjust to the darkness.

It took him several seconds to fully process what he was seeing, and for a moment he was seriously considering that he may have finally gone fully mad. But no, it was there, clear as the sun that beat down against the sea.

Her hair seemed to glow in the dimness, resembling the color of a full moon reflecting in the ocean, with skin so pale it appeared luminescent with the water reflecting off of the cave's ceiling. It was a girl, a young one, whom was bare from the waist up, and who had a blue scarf—

Wait, no. That wasn't correct.

From the waist down there was the shimmery blue tail of a fish.

"In all of my years..." Captain Villads muttered to himself.

The mermaid turned her head at the sudden notice of the man's presence. Her eyes glimmered a soft color, that of a million luminescent pearls decorating a coral reef. There was only a small twinkle of light filling the cave, yet the creature seemed to capture it in a soft, pale glow.

She was flawless, a being made up of magic and mystery. So rare that many thought them to be mere fairy tales.

Yet here she was.

"Captain Villads!" a fisherman called from down the beach, "What have you found?"

Villads simply stared at the beautiful creature, taking several moments to process his thoughts before hesitantly calling back, "Send for Lord Viren, I imagine he would take great interest in seeing this."  
  
  


 

**•  •  •**  
  
  


Prince Caeli of Katolis was a humble man, being born a mere peasant and his royal heritage only in title. Yet he was still respected by his people, with a reputation of being quite kind and generous to each and every town he managed to visit in the great kingdom of Xadia.

He'd been set to arrive in Katolis late in the day, meaning to asses the damage that the port city had adorned during a recent storm and stay for a month or two to help them rebuild — just until trading and fishing returned to normal.

When he first arrived, he had been greeted with an overwhelming amount of respect, the townspeople quickly ushering him to the center castle and respectfully referring to him as "your highness" or "prince Caeli".

"Please, call me Callum. There is no need for the royal titles and formalities."

A feast had been prepared in honor of his arrival, with the food prepared being of the highest quality. Smoked salmon, pepper-glazed carp, grilled eel, freshly minced tuna — all from the single set of boats that had departed that morning.

Lord Viren was a respected man in this area of Xadia, being the one set in charge of managing the kingdom's most well-known and trade-worthy fishing village. Callum had grown up around the man, and though the lord always used a respectful tone in his presence and never attempted to speak out-of-turn, he could easily take of note the distaste in his eyes, the slight shift of Viren's posture when Callum disagreed with one of his creative solutions.

"My prince, there is something I would like to show you."

Sunset was just beginning to fall as Lord Viren led the way from the dining hall down to the garden that sat right behind the walls of the old castle that housed the rulers whom managed this particular village. A large pond spread throughout the alcove of roses and lilies, and a large net had been cast over the smallest section, where a bridge crossed over and cut off the flow of water.

It was there that the mermaid had been sat, her wrists tied into a complicated knot of rope, fastened to the side so that the mermaid would have no chance of escape.

When Callum saw her, he was struck with a strange sensation of familiarity. Viren must have seen the wonder in his eyes, for he then began to speak of the creature.

"It is a mermaid, Prince Callum. A real, live _mermaid_ ," he gushed, "I caught her myself, down at the cliff side yesterday morning, and we settled her here just in time for your arrival."

The garden was a gorgeous place, with bright colors and shades of green glistening with the presence of freshwater and koi fish.

The mermaid was out of place.

The garden was a barren place of decay when compared to her beauty.

"And what, may I ask, do you plan on doing with her?"

"Opportunities like this come only once every hundred years, my prince," Viren explained carefully, "they say the oil that comes from a mermaid it a hundred times better than that of a whale. You can leave it out, but it will never evaporate or grow stale; they say a single drop can create a flame that lasts for an eternity."

"And you plan to use her for this?"

"It is also said that a mermaid cries tears of pearls, she can bring unimaginable wealth for all of Xadia."

The mermaid's head moved slightly, her silvery hair falling over her shoulder and her pale skin slightly shimmering in the golden light. It was as if she were staring straight into his soul without even looking at him at all.

"Uhm, guard! Can she understand what we're saying?" Viren asked a nearby soldier, positioned at the entrance to the garden.

"Of course not. We've tried to speak with her already only to have no response."

"Ugh, the creepy thing. It'll be a blessing to all of us as soon as she's gone."

The mermaid's head turned further, until her eyes seemed to lock onto Callum's gaze, everything in her expression pouring into a single, silent phrase.

_Help me._

Callum was shot out of his temporary trance.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, breaking eye contact and turning to face Lord Viren.

"Hear what?"

"Oh, nothing. I must have been hearing things."

"Of, course, your highness."

_Help me, please._

The voice was there yet again, and Callum, cautiously turned his gaze back to the mermaid.

She was looking at him, and the way she did struck a strangely familiar feeling within his chest.

"Release her."

Callum didn't really know why he'd said what he just did, it was as if all thought process had halted, yet after he spoke he realized that it was true to how he felt.

"I'm sorry?" Lord Viren asked.

"I said release her."  
  
  


**•  •  •**  
  
  


The moon was high in the sky when the mermaid was returned to the water, and when it's light struck her it was as if her tail flashed into a glimmering mix of golden and silver.

Lord Viren watched far from the boat where the prince sat, his eyes narrowing as he saw the creature swum around and returned to the boat, where the prince leaned gently over the edge of his boat. The mermaid slowly rose out of the water, and the neither of them seemed keen on removing their gaze from the other.

"They say that if a mermaid touches a human, she holds the power to steal the human's soul and erase his memories. Seamen are said to have gone mad because of that," Captain Villads spoke from Viren's side, watching the two with a sad, distant gaze.

"And why might we be trusting the young prince to be in the near vicinity of the mermaid?"

"They say that a mermaid only steals the souls and memories that she wishes to obtain," the sea captain explained, "it does not appear that the mermaid has any ill intent towards his majesty."

"Is that so."

The mermaid reached out her hand to the prince, a welcoming gesture that seemed to invite comfort and warmth as opposed to the cold loss of memory.

"Still, it would be better if he didn't associate himself with her."

"And why might that be?"

Villads was silent for a moment, watching as Prince Caeli slowly reached out his own arm and let the mermaid hold his hand in a simple, peaceful gesture of friendship.

"A mermaid cannot survive outside of the sea," he explained, "humanity is cruel. What use would it be to form ties with a creature you shall never see again."

"I see."

Viren let his gaze drop from the step-prince and the sea creature, drifting up to the full moon that lit the beach with a soft, blue glow.

In that moment, Viren made a decision.

Prince "Callum" had ruined his simple, flawless plan. If that mermaid ever dares to show her face near the city again, he would be sure to make use of the pathetic creature.

After all, a mermaid couldn't survive leaving the sea.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to leave a comment! Constructive criticism, theories, etc. Heck, even a random “FJDJAOKDWKLXWKX” will probably make my day!!


End file.
